Bearings for
High Temperatures
Doug Payne, Rexnord Bearings
Introduction
When rolling element or sleeve
bearings operate under extreme condi-
tions, it’s more important than ever to
follow proper lubrication selection and
maintenance procedures to maximize
effective life and efficient performance.
Long-term analysis of field data shows
that the lack of proper lubrication is the
most commonly cited cause of bearing
failure and accounts for over 40 percent
of breakdowns (Fig. 1).
Lubrication is vital to achieving
proper life for bearings. In applications
such as furnaces, ovens, or high-tem-
perature fans and blowers, bearings may
be exposed to higher-than-normal tem-
peratures. Other areas include steel mills
38 powertransmissionengineering fall 2007 www.powertransmission.com
and foundry equipment such as contin-
uous casters and roll-out tables, as well
as dryers, electric motors and generator
sets. In these applications, proper lubri-
cation selection is even more important.
There are two types of lubricants that are
suitable for high-temperature use. One
is traditional grease lubrication, and the
other is an oil system. Oil systems can
be static or circulating. Operating tem-
peratures are one of the major consid-
erations when selecting the method of
bearing lubrication and determining the
grade of oil or grease.
Greases or oils used in applications
that exceed the lubricant’s designed
temperature limits deteriorate rapidly
and carbonize or harden within the bear-
ing and housing cavity. Deterioration is
caused by the initial evaporation of the
higher volatile components of the oil, or
Bearing Failure
the oil additive mixed in the grease, and
continues until the grease eventually
Causes
loses lubricity and is rendered useless as
a lubricant. Evaporative loss of the oil in Lubrication
the grease, coupled with the oxidation
of the oil and soap base structure, will
ultimately cause the grease to transform 43%
into a semi-hardened or hardened solid. 9% Fatigue Limit
Conventional greases and oils will usu- 27%
ally withstand operating temperatures 21%
up to 200°F (93°C) before effective life
Mounting
is deteriorated.
Other
When operating temperatures ex-
ceed 200°F (93°C), special consideration Figure 1—Bearing failure causes.
must be given to the type and method of
lubrication. Petroleum-type greases and
oils are available that will operate satis-
factorily for temperatures up to 250°F
(121°C) continuous, or 275°F (135°C)
on an intermittent basis. The petro-
leum-grade oils used at this temperature
range should be of a quality high-tem-
perature or highly refined turbine-type
lubricant. These oils are more stable and
have a lower evaporation rate than most
conventional, universal-type oils.
At continuous temperatures of 250
to 320°F (120–160°C), synthetic greases
have proven successful. The synthetic
structure imparts a more stable char-
acteristic to the grease, and the residue
content is considerably less than that
of petroleum lubricants at the elevated
temperatures. Types of synthetic grease
have been used satisfactorily for low to
moderate operating speed applications
at temperatures up to 430°F (220°C).
At temperatures above 250°F con-
tinuous, the use of static oil should be
confined to low-speed applications. This
system has a pool or sump in which the
bearing operates partially submerged. It
is recommended that the speed be held
to a DN value (bore in millimeters times
rpm) not to exceed a 50,000 to 75,000
range on the higher-temperature ap-
plications because of oil’s greater dete-
rioration rate compared with greases.
This higher deterioration is a result of
the added churning and aeration effect,
which tends to oxidize the oil.
continued

www.powertransmission.com fall 2007 powertransmissionengineering 39

 Ultimately, a properly designed cir-
culating oil system (Fig. 2) is the best
approach for continuous operating
temperatures above 250°F (121°C) or
where a high degree of operating reli-
ability is desired for temperatures over
200°F (93°C). Synthetic oils can be used
in these systems and are recommended
in applications where temperatures
are above 250°F. A method of cooling
the oil, which will allow for maximum
heat transfer, should be included in the
design. This will also prolong oil life
and provide the maximum return on
investment. Consultation with an oil
system supplier is recommended to pro-
vide technical guidance on equipment
design. A circulating oil system can have
a higher initial and operational cost due
to the additional equipment required.
This can make cost justification diffi-
cult if premature failures have not been
experienced. However, a circulating oil
system remains the best solution for
bearing lubrication in a high-tempera-
ture application.
Synthetic greases and fluids can
handle higher temperatures, but they
may require some restrictions to bearing
speed and applied load design param-
eters, depending on the actual synthetic
product used. As a general guide for
high-temperature usage, it is advisable
that loads be restricted to approximately
10 percent of the bearing dynamic ca-
pacity and 50 percent or less of normal
speed limit as catalogued by the bearing
Figure 2—Design for a circulating oil system.
40 powertransmissionengineering fall 2007 www.powertransmission.com
manufacturer. Operation of bearings be-
yond these limits can lead to rapid wear
of the bearing components and raceway
surfaces, caused by micro-spalling and/
or metal-to-metal contact. If greater
dynamic capacity or speeds are required,
performance characteristics usually can
be extended by altering the bearing size
within a particular series of bearings or
changing to a different bearing style.
In addition to proper lubrication,
it is possible to improve bearing life in
high-temperature applications by mak-
ing every feasible effort to locate the
bearings out of the immediate heat
zone or taking steps to reduce the op-
erational heat level. Often, this can be
accomplished by insulating the walls of
furnaces or high-temperature fan cas-
ings to reduce radiant heat. The use of
heat flingers or cooling wheels and disks
along with high nickel-chrome, heat-re-
sisting shaft material will also reduce
the heat conducted to the bearings. For
extreme high-temperature applications,
specially designed, water-cooled hous-
ings will help reduce bearing operating
temperatures.
As you can see, there are many fac-
tors to consider in determining proper
bearing lubrication. By following these
guidelines, you can have bearings that
operate successfully, even in a high-
temperature environment.
For more information:
Rexnord Industries LLC
Phone: (866) REXNORD
Internet: www.rexnord.com
Doug Payne is manager of application
engineering with Rexnord Bearings in
Indianapolis.